Team harmony is good, right? Maybe not. We often view team harmony as the ultimate goal. We celebrate a lack of ego and a culture of collaboration. Yet many professional groups fall into a subtle but dangerous trap: they mistake collegiality for alignment. When respect and trust are replaced by a mere avoidance of conflict, the result isn't a better team—it's delayed … [Read more...] about Is Your Team Too Collegial?
Culture
Celebrate Your Wins
Learning from failure is great and I am all about continuous improvement. However, many of us do not take enough time to celebrate and savor our wins. A recent article in Harvard Business Review points out the downsides of moving on too quickly to the “next goal.” We miss out on three critical benefits: 1. Refuel Motivation: Celebrating an achievement provides a … [Read more...] about Celebrate Your Wins
Shape Your Workplace Culture
Tons of research demonstrates that a healthy culture is important for high performance in a team and an organization. Following are ideas you can use to influence your team or organization culture to make it more productive. These are based on a recent article in Harvard Business Review. When we talk about the “culture” of your team, we are talking about “the way we do … [Read more...] about Shape Your Workplace Culture
“Collective Merit”
Very few of us are hired by our employers as “individual performers.” Most of us are part of a team – a “collective.” With this in mind, when I have hired people in the past, I think about their individual merit and what they will contribute to the collective. Last semester, I provided students in one of my classes with the following scenario and questions: The Board … [Read more...] about “Collective Merit”
Accountability: You, Then Your Team
The best strategy in the world will not work without effective implementation. One of the biggest mistakes I see in implementation is a lack of Accountability. Accountability is one of the five pillars of teamwork excellence, according to Patrick Lencioni – in his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – and I could not agree more. Accountability begins with you – the … [Read more...] about Accountability: You, Then Your Team